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Garmin Fenix 6X saphire sensor burns

Orthodoc72
over 5 years ago

I recently purchased a Fenix 6X sapphire which looks like a great watch. I decided to wear it continuously for 2 days to get some base line biometrics. Yesterday I woke to find that I had pain and noticeable swelling over the back of my wrist (over the boney prominence of the ulna styloid). It looked like a large spider / insect bite. I decided to wear the watch on my right wrist so as to not irritate the swelling and as a result the swelling and redness is improving. I then realised that the to inflamed areas correspond exactly to the 2 heart rate sensors on the rear of the watch. 

Has anyone else had this problem? Has Garmin made any announcement re. the possibility of burns secondary to use of their watches with these sensors?

  • 0 over 5 years ago

    How did the sensors get anywhere near your wrist bone? The watch should be above the bone and that would be a very odd angle for the watch to sit. Here is an imprint from my watch, which I have worn 24x7 since December, and a 5X+ and 3HR before that. The sensors are nowhere near the bone. 

  • 0 over 5 years ago in reply to eezytiger

    Thanks for your reply. Naturally you're assuming we all have the same boney anatomy and wear our watches with the same strap tension. I wore it slightly loose at night which is why it slid over.

  • +1 over 5 years ago in reply to Orthodoc72

    OK. If it is a burn, rather than rubbing, I can only guess that a loose fit might cause the LEDs to go into overdrive in an effort to secure a signal. I have no idea if they can even do that, but it seems the loose fit is creating the issue.

    Is your band silicone, leather or metal? I briefly tried a metal bracelet with my 3HR, but gave up with it as it was difficult to achieve the right fit/tension for all day comfort and good OHR performance. The silicone band has enough give to make it comfortable to wear snugly all the time. Sometimes I will loosen it a notch for extra comfort, but I always snug it tight for exercise and often just leave it like that until I find a need to loosen it again, which is rare.

    Edit : oops - of course it is silicone - I just rechecked the photos. Even so, I guess too loose is too loose.

  • 0 over 5 years ago in reply to eezytiger

    Loose or not, it shouldn't cause harm as a result. As a surgeon, I can understand why it's occurred i.e. high intensity light over a focused area that overlies a boney prominence with little soft tissue protection.

  • 0 over 5 years ago in reply to eezytiger

    That’s some indentation. You really do wear that tight!

  • 0 over 5 years ago in reply to Orthodoc72
    Orthodoc72 said:
    high intensity light over a focused area that overlies a boney prominence with little soft tissue protection.

    Where’s they high-intensity light in this case? You 

  • 0 over 5 years ago in reply to Dr Phil

    That is my default for activities. I set it yesterday for some mountain biking and didn't think to loosen it since. No discomfort. Looser settings let the skin and watch move more freely together, which, when running, can lead to poor results, so I wear it snug. For non activity tracking it could be looser, but there is seldom a need.

    Maybe those who complain of poor heart rate values in activities, aside from hiking, wear the watch too loose - causing cadence lock, perhaps.

  • +1 over 5 years ago

    The light sensor is also raised and in the center of the watch, and therefore the closest to your skin. Most likely explanation is a skin irritation from it not being able to breath.

    Give the watch (and your wrist) a thorough wash, then perhaps consider wearing the watch on your other wrist overnight.

    The watch can run for 3 weeks with OHR on - quite simply there is not enough power in the device to burn you. "High intensity" light it is not.

    The stainless steel used is low-nickel, so a nickel allergy and reaction is unlikely, but still possible in some very sensitive individuals.

  • 0 over 5 years ago in reply to mcalista

    Hi and thanks for your input. A lot of your comments make sense however they simply don't hold up in my case. I do take it off and wash it after exercise when I shower. I had no skin irritation from the watch prior to wearing it overnight on 2 consecutive nights. I have no skin contact sensitivities and if this were the cause the skin markings would be circular as per the raised section on the back of the watch and not just where the 2 LED sensors are.

  • 0 over 5 years ago in reply to Dr Phil

    Coming from the sensor emitting LEDs? By the way they work they need to emit light of sufficient energy to penetrate the skin and disperse to sense blood flow.